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As a member of the MIAA and NCAA Division III associations, Hope College sponsors
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III National Championship women’s volleyball team.

Vanderbilt Invitational Launches Cross Country Season

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The small college cross country season begins Saturday (Sept. 1) with the traditional
Vanderbilt Invitational hosted by Hope College. The meet will be run at the Ridge
Point Community Church on Holland's southeast side beginning at 10:30 a.m.

The small college cross country season begins Saturday (Sept. 1) with the traditional
Vanderbilt Invitational hosted by Hope College. The meet will be run at the Ridge
Point Community Church on Holland's southeast side beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Started in 1966, the meet is named in honor of William Vanderbilt, Sr. who coached
the Hope cross country program from 1971-87. A 1961 Hope graduate, Vanderbilt guided
Hope cross country teams to 17 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA)
championships, 14 by the men and three by the women. He coached current Hope cross
country coach Mark Northuis who was an All-MIAA distance runner.

While at Hope, Vanderbilt chaired the department of physical education, recreation
and athletics. He also served as president of the NCAA Division III Cross Country
Coaches Association and in 1987 brought the Division III national championships to
Holland. As a student-athlete, he lettered in basketball, baseball and track. He was
captain of the basketball team as a senior and won the MIAA championship in the high
jump in 1959. He received the masters degreefrom the University of Michigan and the Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Vanderbilt
left the Hope faculty in 1988.

The first invitational was held in men's cross country in 1966. The women's cross
country component was added in 1980.

Joining Hope will be teams from Albion, Cornerstone, Grace Bible and Muskegon Community,
in addition to some invited unattached runners.

Albion is the two-time defending men's champion while Hope will be seeking its third
consecutive women's title.

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